Do you know Marcello D’Olivo?

When you think of famous Italian architects then certainly first of Gio Ponti, Carlo Scarpa, Renzo Piano or Gino Valle. A rather unknown, but not less creative architect from Friuli Venezia Giulia who has realized projects all over the world is Marcello D’Olivo.On the occasion of the centenary of his birth, the Civici Musei di……

Really Big. Bold. Brutal.?

Living and working in one of these “Brutalist” buildings here in Italy, the “Condominio Zipser” by Marcello d’Olivo (1960-1964) has always been fascinating for us. For many years none of these buildings has been considered interesting or worth saving. Many of them have been destroyed and many of these buildings are abandoned or endangered. When……

Brutalism Today Worldwide – Database, Exhibition and Book

When it comes to Brutalism, people think that the rough, rough beauty of the buildings would be cold and impersonal, but that’s not true! Often reduced to a minimum, this architecture is characterized by clear lines, great spatial effects and an optimal basis for interior design. A couple of years ago the Deutsches Architekturmuseum and the……

GRADO Beach City – An exhibition about architecture and urbanism

Considering ourselves very lucky to live and work here on the island of Grado, today we are very proud to present a new exhibition dedicated to architecture and urbanism from its origins back in 1872 to a modern beach city in 2017. Brief summary: The birth of Grado as a beach and spa town is……

Catch of the Week: Marcello D’Olivo – Discorso per un altra architettura

What a great day! After years of searching for an original, very rare book of Marcello D’Olivo, one of the most interesting, innovative but not well known architect from Italy we found a complete book at A+M Bookstore in Milan, Italy. Finally we are able to read the whole story behind his life as an architect and artist……

Mid-Century Modern in Italy and California – Then and now

Here in Italy people and authorities don’t think much about Mid-Century Modern architecture having failed completely to protect important buildings and hidden gems in the past – nationwide. 1960’s and 1970’s are mainly wiped off the map and more like candidates set to be demolished or replaced by anonymous, functional buildings without any sense for style and without……

Is it really that brutal?

After numerous travels to Palm Springs, California for the Modernism Week we were wandering if there’s some kind of Mid-Century architecture here in Italy too. By picking out a view buildings of the 1950’s and 1960’s often the term “Brutalism” comes up here in Europe. I’m pretty sure the there are more brutal buildings like Le……